Royal college

Disney Launches Global Create 100 Campaign to Celebrate Creativity and Support Make-A-Wish With $1 Million Donation

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 28, 2023

Today marks the launch of Create 100 , a global celebration of creativity marking 100 years of Disney storytelling.

Key Points: 
  • Today marks the launch of Create 100 , a global celebration of creativity marking 100 years of Disney storytelling.
  • To begin, Disney is commemorating the launch with a $1 million donation to Make-A-Wish to support the granting of life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
  • The life-size piece titled ‘Structural Sorcerer — a Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey Sculpture’ was commissioned by Disney and designed by ALASKA ALASKA.
  • The life-changing wishes include shopping sprees, studio visits, theme park and resort vacations, cruises, talent meet-and-greets, sports-themed experiences and more.

Endoscopic Spine Activities Peak During Summer 2023, joimax® Continues to Lead the Way

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 27, 2023

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230727772616/en/
    joimax® leads the way at endoscopic spine events.
  • (Graphic: Business Wire)
    From July 13 to 15 more than 80 attendees from 22 countries connected at the ESPINEA® World Summit.
  • “We are excited to see the widespread acceptance of endoscopic spine surgery around the globe,” said joimax® Founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries.
  • “Having reached a tipping point, the NASS endoscopic “Surgical Stadium” event, will be another highlight the spine community can look forward to”.

World Renowned Biomedical Professor Jonathan Lakey Joins CancerVAX Board of Advisors

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 27, 2023

Dr. Lakey graduated from the University of Alberta with a BS, MS and PhD and received post-doctoral training in Indianapolis and Seattle.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Lakey graduated from the University of Alberta with a BS, MS and PhD and received post-doctoral training in Indianapolis and Seattle.
  • Dr. Lakey is currently the Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering and the Director of the Clinical Islet Program at University of California Irvine.
  • CancerVAX CEO Ryan Davies said, “We are honored to have Dr. Lakey join our Board of Advisors.
  • This is a noble cause and I am honored to have a part in the exciting work CancerVAX is doing”, said Dr. Lakey.

MAPLIGHT THERAPEUTICS APPOINTS TIM GARNETT, M.D. TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 24, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MapLight Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working to develop targeted, novel therapeutics to improve the lives of people with brain disorders, today announced the appointment of Tim Garnett, M.D. to its Board of Directors. Dr. Garnett is a pharmaceutical executive with decades of experience in drug development and strategic portfolio management.

Key Points: 
  • SAN FRANCISCO, July 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MapLight Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company working to develop targeted, novel therapeutics to improve the lives of people with brain disorders, today announced the appointment of Tim Garnett, M.D.
  • Dr Garnett has served on multiple boards and is currently Board Chair of Ophirex, a Board Member of Carmot Therapeutics and a member of the Advisory Panel of Cambridge Innovation Capital.
  • "I am proud to join MapLight's Board of Directors as the company moves multiple drug candidates through development and on to registrational trials," said Tim Garnett, MD.
  • "MapLight has a promising pipeline of novel assets and a talented leadership team of distinguished neuroscience veterans unique within biopharma.

DIY toilet kit and innovative app for community water maintenance are among a score of new Design for Good solutions aimed at improving millions of lives

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 21, 2023

The most recent DfG collaboration focuses on clean water and sanitation (SDG#6) - billions of people live without safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services, which are critical for protecting human health.

Key Points: 
  • The most recent DfG collaboration focuses on clean water and sanitation (SDG#6) - billions of people live without safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene services, which are critical for protecting human health.
  • DfG will now work with more than 10 development organisations and innovation partners on sustainably implementing and scaling the solutions.
  • The event aims to mobilise action across countries, sectors and stakeholders to meet global water- and sanitation-related goals and targets.
  • DfG aims to directly harness the creative talent of thousands of designers to design, develop and deliver products and services to improve the lives of millions.

ProKidney Appoints Bruce Culleton, MD, as Executive Vice President, Clinical Development and Commercialization

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 17, 2023

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProKidney Corp. (Nasdaq: PROK) (“ProKidney” or the “Company”), a leading late clinical-stage cellular therapeutics company focused on chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced the appointment of Bruce Culleton, MD, as Executive Vice President, Clinical Development and Commercialization. Dr. Culleton, who will report to Chief Executive Officer Tim Bertram, joins ProKidney after more than two decades in industry and academia with a primary focus on kidney health.

Key Points: 
  • WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProKidney Corp. (Nasdaq: PROK) (“ProKidney” or the “Company”), a leading late clinical-stage cellular therapeutics company focused on chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced the appointment of Bruce Culleton, MD, as Executive Vice President, Clinical Development and Commercialization.
  • Tim Bertram, Chief Executive Officer of ProKidney, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Bruce to the ProKidney team.
  • Before joining CVS Health, he was Vice President, Global Clinical Development and World Wide Vice President, Medical Affairs, Medication and Procedural Solutions at Becton Dickinson; and previously Vice President, Renal Therapeutic Area at Baxter Healthcare.
  • Dr. Culleton added, “With Phase 3 clinical development well underway and initial interim data expected in late 2024, ProKidney is rapidly approaching an important inflection point.

Should GPs bring up a patient’s weight in consultations about other matters? We asked 5 experts

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 13, 2023

A 15-minute consultation isn’t long enough to provide support to change behaviours, Brumfitt says, and GPs don’t have enough training and expertise to have these complex discussions.

Key Points: 
  • A 15-minute consultation isn’t long enough to provide support to change behaviours, Brumfitt says, and GPs don’t have enough training and expertise to have these complex discussions.
  • By raising the issue of weight, Brumfitt says, GPs also risk turning patients off seeking care for other health concerns.
  • So should GPs bring up a patient’s weight in consultations about other matters?
  • He does not have a specific interest in obesity, but like almost all GPs, he treats many patients who are overweight or obese.

Syncromune® Inc., Appoints Jonathan Lewis, M.D., Ph.D., A Renowned Immune Therapy Pioneer, as Chief Medical Officer

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 12, 2023

“SYNC-T™ for solid tumor therapy has the potential to be a game changer, much like CAR T cells have been for leukemias and lymphomas,” said Dr. Lewis.

Key Points: 
  • “SYNC-T™ for solid tumor therapy has the potential to be a game changer, much like CAR T cells have been for leukemias and lymphomas,” said Dr. Lewis.
  • It is an honor, a privilege, and an exhilarating opportunity to be able to contribute to this remarkable technology and team.
  • Previously, he served as the Executive Chairman, CEO, and Chief Medical Officer of Ziopharm Oncology from 2004 to 2015, where he led the development of novel immunotherapies for metastatic cancers.
  • Prior to Ziopharm, Dr. Lewis held the positions of Chairman and Chief Medical Officer of Antigenics, Inc, a company focused on personalized therapeutic vaccines for cancers, infectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders.

Antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms – here’s what you need to know

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 22, 2023

Millions of people worldwide take antidepressants to help with depression. But as a recent BBC Panorama found, many aren’t aware of the fact that antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them. For some, these symptoms can be severe and long-lasting. Here’s what you should know.What causes antidepressant withdrawal?This process of adaption is often termed physical dependence, which leads to tolerance (lessening effects over time) and withdrawal when stopping.

Key Points: 


Millions of people worldwide take antidepressants to help with depression. But as a recent BBC Panorama found, many aren’t aware of the fact that antidepressants can cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them. For some, these symptoms can be severe and long-lasting. Here’s what you should know.

What causes antidepressant withdrawal?

    • This process of adaption is often termed physical dependence, which leads to tolerance (lessening effects over time) and withdrawal when stopping.
    • After even just a few weeks of antidepressant use, our serotonin receptors become less sensitive, meaning that we probably need more serotonin to elicit the same effects.
    • This is what causes withdrawal symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

    • Emotional withdrawal symptoms include low mood, anxiety, panic attacks, irritability, anger, crying spells and feeling suicidal.
    • There are a few ways to distinguish withdrawal symptoms from relapse – the return of a past mental health condition.
    • Physical withdrawal symptoms will be distinct from the original condition, and sometimes the emotional symptoms are recognisably different from the symptoms you initially had.

How long do withdrawal symptoms last?

    • Many people (including practitioners) believe withdrawal symptoms only last as long as it takes the drug to leave your system – typically, days or weeks.
    • Clinical studies have also shown that antidepressant withdrawal symptoms can last for weeks, months and, in some people, years.

Does withdrawal only happen with long-term use?

    • One patient survey found only a small minority experienced withdrawal after taking the drug for a few months.
    • But more than half who’d taken antidepressants longer than three years experienced withdrawal – of which, half reported moderate or severe symptoms.

How should you stop antidepressants?

    • While some patients can tolerate this, we know that for many long-term antidepressant users, this approach produces intolerable withdrawal symptoms that can make it impossible to stop these drugs.
    • The last few milligrams of these drugs are the hardest to come off, so need to be reduced particularly carefully.
    • But it’s important people are made aware of the risk of withdrawal effects, so they can make an informed decision.

Police forces across England plan to respond to fewer mental health calls -- here's why

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.

Key Points: 
  • The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley has announced that the London police force is to attend fewer mental health emergencies.
  • As part of an approach called Right Care, Right Person, police officers will only respond to 999 mental health calls when there is an “immediate threat to life”.
  • For many years now there have been calls, from people both within the police and those experiencing mental health crises, for the police to have less of a role in mental health emergencies.
  • Under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, police officers can detain someone if they believe that person’s mental health is causing an immediate risk to the person or others.

Emergency response

    • And in 2021/22, Mind noted that the equivalent of the population of a British town was picked up by the police in this way.
    • Yearly numbers of Section 136 detentions in England and Wales from 2017/18 to 2021/22: Scotland’s reform was prompted by similar rising numbers.
    • In 2019 four in every five 999 calls to Police Scotland were reportedly not about crime but vulnerability.

A traumatic experience

    • Police cells were never the right place for someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
    • This is as humiliating for the people being escorted as it is demoralising for the officers involved.
    • The idea behind Right Care, Right Person is that people in crisis be cared for by mental health professionals.
    • Since 2013, mental health nurses have joined police officers in street triage schemes, accompanying them on patrol to provide immediate mental health support to people.
    • Being frequently detained by the police – without proper, long-term mental health support – makes vulnerable people feel worse.
    • In the US – call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or IMAlive at 1-800-784-2433.